Follow Chuck

Chuck Review: On Charah, Vivian and More...

It was a week late for its Valentine's Day theme, but "Chuck Versus the Masquarade" had enough going for that I was able to look past that.

This was the third straight quality standalone episode, but it also delivered the possibility of more involved arc: dealing with the daughter of Alexei Volkoff.

Vivian is the heir to the Volkoff empire, but what will that mean moving forward? Will she be the next big bad? Or will she actually assist Team Bartowski? Maybe this leads to a reunion between Daddy and Daughter Volkoff by the end of the season. I definitely won't complain about a return of Timothy Dalton.

It had long-term implications, but "Chuck Versus the Masquerade" also worked quite well on its own. Put on your lingerie with wings and then we can take a look at how the Chuck Triple Threat played out...

ActionNot much this week. A couple of highlights were Chuck turning into his best Nastia Liukin impression on the uneven bars as he took out the men chasing Vivian, as well as Chuck driving the getaway car while Sarah stood up through the sun roof, shooting down bad guys left and right.

And when Sarah got knocked off her horse, we had Casey coming in to save the day. What I wondered after this scene is if this event would make Casey feel like he was a more important cog in the Team Bartowski wheel, or if he was important enough to lead his own team. It had become clear that Casey was simply doing a lot of busy work for Team Bartowski, which has led to him becoming the best TV bartender since Sam Malone.

So when the NCS agent asked him to come and head up his own team for her, I'm sure it made everyone a little nervous.

When Casey responded to her request with "I'm not leaving Burbank" and she retorted that he doesn't have to, I got plenty anxious that Casey may be exciting the group for a while.

ComedyOther than a minute or so, we were without Jeff, Lester and Big Mike once again. It was definitely okay, though, because every other cast member had his/her moment.

Let's start with the newest member of the group. Alex joining Morgan in the wacky, blind folded, sitting on the floor, rubbing chocolate on each other moment was unbelievably cute and hilarious.

I don't know how funny it was supposed to be, but because it was surprisingly the first time I had heard it out loud, Casey calling Chuck and Sarah "Charah" had me rolling on the floor. I never pictured him one for the mash-up couple nickname.

The new mommy and daddy were going a little crazy with baby Clara, but thankfully they found a song that put her to sleep. Watching Ellie and Awesome go even more insane because of said song, was in fact, awesome!

Chuck and Morgan had plenty of hysterical moments, as usual. Between all of the Valentine's Day set up and Morgan moving out, Zach Levi and Josh Gomez continued to prove to be a fantastic comedic team. My personal favorite from Morgan was when he asked Beckman if the party on the mission had a theme, and that he referred to her as G.B.!!! Can you give a General a nickname like that?

But it was Sarah that was once again surprisingly funny. It's happening with much more frequency these days, but every time Yvonne Strahovski makes me laugh, it is kind of a shock. I always think of her as the hot ass-kicking Sarah, but the lingerie with attached wings, and her awkward "hanging" with Morgan, were hilarious.

HeartThe heartfelt moments here were between our two favorite nerds. I'm a sucker for platonic friendships that seem like romantic relationships, so Morgan moving out of Chuck's apartment was pretty great. Them deciding whether or not to split up their Han Solo and Chewbacca collectibles was even better.

The continuous metaphor of those Star Wars dolls being like Chuck and Morgan made every one of those scenes perfect. But, unlike Han and Chewey, Chuck and Morgan aren't going to stay together forever. Morgan is moving out to become a man, and Chuck and Sarah are going to live together like a real engaged couple. It's a sad truth, but even Morgan Grimes has to grow up.

It is personal stories like this that sometimes get lost in the shuffle during stretches of long plot arcs, such as the Frost/Volkoff story we had earlier in the season. There was just so much going on in every one of those first 13 episodes that they didn't have time to go into something like Morgan moving out from Chuck's apartment shadow. Fortunately, that changed on this installment.

What did everyone else think? Are you sad to see Morgan leave the apartment? And what will happen with Volkoff's daughter, Vivian?

Around the Web

Follow Chuck

Heather•February 22, 2011 21:34

I agree with this review to every last word. It said it all.The Charah referance was too funny, Ellie and Awesome entering the buymote like caveman and his captive was LOL and of course Clara only sleeps to the medolic voice of Jeffster- she was born listening to that music! Jeff made sure of it :pPlus when Sarah- (shemale) tried to bond with Morgan (littleman) whom I'm pretty sure she alternates between liking, disliking, adoring, putting up with, ignoring, bossing, controlling, back to semi liking- it was just- the best comedic moment Chuck has ever had. Yvonne is the most talented actor on the show. In every sense, without a doubt.

Becca•February 22, 2011 17:46

Thank you for this review; I find myself agreeing with most of the Chuck reviews you write. This was a fantastic stand-alone, and despite her dodgy accent (in places), I very much enjoyed Vivian's character, and it seems to be a natural progression; the struggle for Volkoff's successor. Kind of reminiscent of the struggle for power after Lenin's death. Or maybe I'm just making links because there was a guy killing everyone (Stalin) and Volkoff was Russian. This seemed to be a real progression episode. Though the time spent in their apartment will probably be cut down with Morgan's leaving, it'll be interesting to see how Chuck and Sarah (Casey: 'Charah'!) continue living. The apartment no longer houses siblings/friends but an actual couple. I hope it doesn't change the dynamics of that setting too much.

I'm sure in these reviews it was pointed out that the series was concluded ... until NBC asked for more episodes. With that being the case, then the other actors in the show, with bills to pay, would have found what work they could. That is, I wonder if the actors who play Jeff, Lester, and Mike don't have to wrap up other committments before they can return to the show?? I can't imagine they would have had the kind of contract that tied them up just in case NBC bought more episodes (as I would think the stars would have had).

As usual, great review Dan! Love the triple threat! Oh I absolutely loved last night's episode. I'm definitely convinced Vivia, who I love, is going evil. More on that in our Round Table this afternoon, though :)

Eagleone•February 22, 2011 15:17

First: very good season. Secondo : Sarah with attached wings, funny ! It's important that the show grow after a few seasons. Morgan living with is mother (could be funny) or alone, Sarah moving with Chuck, all that need to be done. I like Vivian, they already tell us that she was well-trained at a young age, will see witch camp she choose,. But I have a feeling, she's go bad for a while and Chuck (of cause) would put her in the right path. Anyway, more sexiness in a good thing !!!